logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2019
28m 17s

The Sound of Space

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

The previously silent world of outer space is changing. In this audio tour around the Universe, Dr Lucie Green explores the sounds of space.

Some sounds have been recorded by microphones on-board interplanetary spacecraft. Others have been detected by telescopes and sped up until their frequency is tuned to our ears. The rest are sonified X-rays, space plasma or radio waves that reveal tantalising secrets about the universe that our eyes cannot see.

Everyone can recall the sound of the singing comet - a symphony created using measurements from the Rosetta mission. But many other sounds have been created from space data, from lightning on Jupiter to vibrations inside the Sun. From spinning pulsars to black holes and gamma ray bursts, outside our Solar System space becomes even stranger.

Joining Lucie Green on this sonic journey through space are: - Prof Tim O'Brien (Associate Director of Jodrell Bank Observatory), - Honor Harger (Executive Director of the ArtScience museum in Singapore) and - Dr Andrew Pontzen (Cosmology Research Group, University College London) with archive from Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell.

Producer: Michelle Martin.

Up next
Oct 2021
The Sir Patrick Vallance interview
As Chief Scientific Advisor to the government during a pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance's calm, clear summaries of the state of our scientific understanding of the virus were welcomed by many. But what was going on behind the scenes? In this extended interview with Jim Al-Khalili o ... Show More
37m 23s
Oct 2021
The Men in the White Coats
Prof Andrea Sella on the shifting image of the scientist in popular culture, from Victor Frankenstein to Iron Man via victorious post-war boffinry and megalomanical Bond villainry.The monster unleashed by Mary Shelley in her 1818 tale of gruesome gothic horror was in many senses ... Show More
57m 9s
Apr 2022
28ish Days Later - Day One: Power
Discover more episodes in the series by searching for 28ish Days Later on BBC Sounds.What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? India Rakusen explores the whole bloody story, discovering facts that could change your life. Periods are just the beginning. India Rakusen jour ... Show More
15m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Life beyond Earth
Under the mighty radio Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, Victoria Gill brings together some of the UK’s leading experts who were visiting the recent ‘bluedot’ science and music festival. They discussed the ongoing hunt for extraterrestrial life. We hear from Karen Olsson-Francis, ... Show More
38m 53s
Dec 2022
The Deep Space Network
Brian Cox and Robin Ince visit Canberra for the first of 4 special episodes recorded in Australia. This week they visit the amazing Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre where scientists communicate with, and track the 200 or so spacecraft that are currently exploring our vast ... Show More
43 m
Nov 2020
Space Audity: The challenges of space communication
We've all heard the iconic recordings from the Apollo missions. But how exactly does NASA manage to run live audio between Earth and the moon? And how might we chat with astronauts on Mars and beyond? Featuring Astronaut Peggy Whitson, NASA Audio Engineer Alexandria Perryman, and ... Show More
27m 9s
Feb 2024
S27E20: The Improbable Galaxy: Unveiling the Enigma of Pearl SDG
For peace of mind when online and know you are protected get our special 60% off deal on Incogni. Visit www.incogni.com/stuartgary to get the deal The Space, Astronomy & Science Podcast. SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 20 *The Enigma of Pearl SDG: A Galaxy That Defies Expectations As ... Show More
24m 13s
Aug 2017
Space 1977
Voyager 1 and 2: Still operating after 40 years in the depths of space. Voyager 1 is currently some 20 billion kilometres from Earth travelling at 15.5 kilometres a second. It takes 19 hours for a signal from the spacecraft's 20 watt transmitter to reach home. Voyager 2 is 17 bil ... Show More
49m 19s
Sep 2023
S26E109: Have they finally found Planet X?
SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 109 *Have they finally found planet X? Astronomers in Japan have found possible evidence of an Earth-like planet orbiting in the Kuiper Belt. *XRISM space telescope launches into orbit. A powerful new Xray telescope has just blasted into orbit. The X-r ... Show More
34m 39s
Sep 2023
S26E106: The Violent Accretion Disk of a Supermassive Black Hole // The Monster Centaurus A // Indian Lunar Rover
The Space News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 106 *The violent accretion disk of a supermassive black hole Astronomers have for the first time ever, captured spectra from the tumultuous accretion disk of an actively feeding super massive black hole. *Studying the monster Ce ... Show More
34m 18s
Dec 2015
Sounds of Space 1: The Solar System
The previously silent world of outer space is getting noisier. Listen in to sounds recorded on board spacecraft and sonifications of space data. Originally broadcast 30 June 2015. 
26m 52s
Nov 2022
A distant planet’s atmosphere
Nasa's JWST space telescope has unpicked the chemical contents and state of the atmosphere of planet WASP-39b 700 light years away. Astronomer Hannah Wakeford explains. Meteorologist Laura Wilcox warns that atmospheric haze over China and South Asia is masking some of the effects ... Show More
28m 4s
Dec 2023
Space Records Continue to Tumble: Record Setting Brown Dwarf Discovery | S26E151
The Space News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 151 *Discovery of a record setting brown dwarf Astronomers have discovered what might be the smallest Brown Dwarf ever seen – just three or four times the mass of Jupiter. *How gas-rich baby galaxies set the early Universe aligh ... Show More
29m 13s